The Right Choice
by smartiebot
Summary: While searching for horcruxes Hermione discovers that both Harry and Ron are in love with her. Who will she choose? Ron/Hermione/Harry love triangle. Read and review please! Rated T for a few swear words and kissing.
1. Chapter 1

Hermione's POV

I had always known that I would end up with one of them. Despite the fact that they had been my best friends since first year and that we were closer than siblings, being in a relationship with one of them was not as unappealing as one might think. As I had come to realize over the past several years, neither of them were disgusted with the idea of being with me. Quite the opposite actually.

For the last several months, particularly since we had left to search for horcruxes, Harry and Ron had been constantly on edge around each other and increasingly friendly towards me.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that my two best friends were quickly becoming my two possible suitors and I know that someday I will need to decide between the raven-haired-Harry-with-a-swollen-head and the slightly-clumsy-and-awkward-but-nevertheless-charming-red-headed-Ron.

Sighing I reflected on what I had come to realize. The only one I had ever liked as more than a friend was -

"Mione, could you come look at this?" Harry's voice roused me from my thoughts and I turned around to face him, returning to reality, "I think it might have something to do with the one of the horcruxes."

He had a large dusty book sitting on his lap and was sitting on a frilly pink loveseat (probably something Ron's dad had gotten from their Aunt Muriel) in the middle of our tent. Harry motioned for me to sit beside him, which I did and I started reading the open page with interest.

When I looked up from the worn parchment, I found myself looking directly into emerald green eyes no more than an inch away from mine. It seemed that Harry had inched his way closer and closer beside me while I was absorbed in the information.

I froze, not sure what to do. It was obvious that Harry's important discovery was no more than an attempt to get closer to me; both literally and figuratively.

Luckily for me, I was saved needing to respond by a throat being cleared.

Harry jumped back and glared at Ron, who shrugged at him then moved to sit in between us.

"So, what important information did you say you had found Harry?" asked Ron in an exaggeratedly interested tone.

I got up from the couch, rolling my eyes at their not so subtle competition. Just because I was the only girl Harry and Ron had seen in months, both of them were displaying excessive amounts of testosterone in order to 'get some' or something ridiculous like that. I shook my head, both of them know that I'm not that kind of girl, but I suppose that wouldn't stop them from trying. Not that I would mind doing some of those things with -

"So Hermione," I gritted my teeth as Harry's voice interrupted my thoughts for the second time that evening, "what did you think of that page I showed you?"

"Harry, I seriously doubt that Mrs. Weasley's recipe for her specialty stew is going to be any help whatsoever in defeating You-Know-Who," I stated, "Maybe try thinking with your head instead of your stomach or something between your legs that can easily be hexed off if you insist on wasting my time with ridiculous attempts to attract my attention because you can't survive a couple of months without putting the moves on some girl. And Ronald don't come a single step closer or the same will go for you."

Ron, who was slowly making his way towards me to restrain me from hitting Harry again or embrace me, stopped in his tracks and flushed a light pink.

"Now if you will both excuse me, I have some real work to do. **I **don't want to be stuck in this stupid forest for the rest of my life looking for horcruxes because you two imbeciles can't leave me alone or do some real thinking for yourselves."

Breathing heavily, I turned on my heel and returned to where I was sitting before Harry had called me over.

* * *

><p>They both had left me alone for a good week after that, probably deciding that it was best to let me cool off before continuing to battle for my affections.<p>

But after some time both of them forgot or disregarded my threats and things went back to how they were before; the boys each trying to get closer to me while stopping the other from doing so, and me trying my best to ignore both of their advances.

One day, while Harry was out getting some wood for the fire, Ron asked me if I wanted to go for a walk with him. Despite being more than a little suspicious, I agreed and we strolled down towards a stream not far from our campsite.

Neither of us said much, we just enjoyed the sunny weather and the nature around us.

Finally, as a joke, I nudged Ron, who was standing on the edge of the riverbank, into the water, intending to pull him back before he fell in. However as fate would have it, my attempted rescue came a split second too late and Ron tumbled into the gently flowing water.

He came up coughing and sputtering, with his hair spiked at a strange angle. I couldn't help myself and I burst into peals of laughter. Mischievousness sparkling in his eyes, Ron swam slowly closer to shore and grabbed onto my ankle. Before I knew it I was beside him in the river and just as soaked.

We splashed around for a few minutes then decided that it was time to head back to our camp. Ron climbed out first before grabbing my hand and helping me out after him.

Still soaking wet I stumbled out of the river and tripped on a root. Expecting to fall to the ground, I closed my eyes. When I realized that I was not, in fact, on the ground, I opened them again and found myself in a very familiar pair of arms.

Looking up into Ron's gentle blue eyes, I lost myself in them and my 'thanks' faded slowly from my tongue. Almost in slow motion, his head moved slowly towards mine and our lips met in a gentle kiss. Our lips moved softly together and everything else other than the two of us faded into the background.

When we parted after a few seconds, we saw Harry standing a few meters away, with his mouth hanging open. He slowly closed it and narrowed his eyes at Ron. Deciding that it would be best if I were not involved in this, I started back up towards the tent.

When they thought I was out of earshot, I could just barely hear Harry hiss to Ron "It's on _Mate_."

* * *

><p>For a few days after Harry walked in on my kiss with Ron, the atmosphere around our campsite was very tense and both boys were on edge around each other. However, they both went overly out of the way to assist me with anything I needed.<p>

Anytime I entered or left the tent, both Harry and Ron would leap to hold the flap open for me. If I needed anything researched or done, both of them would be more than happy to help.

It was nice at first to have a pair of slaves ready at my beck and call, but soon I just wanted my friends back.

* * *

><p>One day, I had sent Ron to the river to fetch some water and Harry was nowhere to be seen, so I decided to take some time for myself without having two boys following me everywhere to see what I needed. I went into the forest to collect some firewood.<p>

I walked a couple hundred meters away from the campsite and tried to stay relatively hidden in the trees so that Harry and Ron wouldn't find me as quickly. I hummed softly to myself while picking up some sticks and drifted off into my own world; oblivious of surroundings.

Suddenly, I heard a twig snap not far from where I was standing and I whirled around, expecting to see Harry or Ron. Instead, I saw a snatcher standing close by. Luckily, I was still inside the protective enchantments that I had set up to ward against them, but it gave me an awful fright all the same.

As I stood still, unmoving and breathing shallowly for fear of being detected, the snatcher started to slowly walk away, but with his face still full of suspicion. When he was out of sight I turned to make my way back to the tent and came face to face with the one and only Harry Potter.

"Another snatcher," he said quietly, "it's good to know that the enchantments have been holding up all this time. Even with someone like Ron casting them." he muttered bitterly as an afterthought.

I pretended not to have heard his last comment and continued on my way back to the camp.

Harry jogged to catch up with me. "You know, it's not polite to evade your friends. Ron and I could have been worried sick."

I rolled my eyes, "I was still within earshot from the tent", I stated flatly, "If you were really worried you could have called for me from there."

Harry smirked, "But what if the enchantments didn't hold up and we were calling your name all around the forest? Someone could have heard us like that snatcher we saw before. So instead of yelling for you, I sent Ron back towards the river where he was before you went missing and I came to look for you over here."

"Well you've found me now, so let's head back to camp." I said, handing him half of my pile of firewood and starting back in the general direction of the tent.

Before I could make it very far, Harry stood in front of me, holding lightly on to my shoulders. "Why can't you give me a chance? You shouldn't choose between me and Ron without carefully evaluating both options, I thought you were supposed to be the logical one Hermione."

I froze and stared at him with my jaw open. "I - I haven't decided on anyone yet," I started weakly, "You're both my friends and I don't want that to change. I don't want things to get even worse than they are now."

"You've given Ron a fair chance, playing with him in the water and," he paused, "other things, but as soon as I try to get close to you, you shy away." While he said this, he was slowly moving close and closer to me. I couldn't move, paralyzed with disbelief. "Give me a chance." He whispered, closing the distance between our lips.

My firewood slipped out of my arms from shock and I stood still while Harry kissed me. I didn't know what to do, pulling away and slapping him could ruin our friendship, but I didn't want to give him any ideas that we could be together. I settled for standing still; letting him kiss me without returning any feelings. A happy medium.

The kiss was different from my kiss with Ron. It held the same gentleness, but it was more tentative and less passionate. Instead of making me forget my surroundings, I couldn't have been more aware of them, hoping that Ron was nowhere near here.

When Harry finally pulled away and looked into my eyes, his face reflected many things that I didn't want to see coming from him; love, lust, confusion, hurt. I did the only thing I could think of at the moment and ran back towards the tent so that I could gather my thoughts. None of this was logical, it was pure emotion and I didn't like having to make decisions based on feelings.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hermione's POV

When I got back to the tent I was relieved to find that Ron had yet to return from the river and his search for me. My time to think had been interrupted and now I had even more things to ponder.

I paced back and forth in the tent, _Oh no, oh no, oh no no no no no! _It was times like these that I wished I allowed myself to swear. Well, maybe just this once. _Shit, shit shit! Merlin's bloody pants and all those things that Ron usually says!_

Just when I had started to figure things out, Harry had to go and make them more complicated. I still had to choose between them, but at what price? Would choosing Ron over Harry cost me Harry's friendship?

But even more worrying is how Ron would react if and when he found out that Harry had kissed me. He has always felt inferior to Harry on the Quiddich pitch, in popularity and in financial standing and the last thing he needed was to think that I would choose Harry over him.

My mental rant was cut short when Ron entered the tent. When he saw me he ran over and wrapped me in a big hug.

"Harry and I were so worried," he started, holding me tightly to his chest, "we couldn't find you and thought that you might have been caught by snatchers or something."

I allowed myself to relax in his arms and a small smile to cross my face, "I'm fine," I said, overjoyed that he cared so much about me, "I was just getting some wood for the fire and got lost in thought."

Ron sighed in relief, "When Harry and I realized you were gone we both went in different directions to try to find you." His voice trailed off and he frowned momentarily, "He should be back here any minute, we agreed to meet back here after a few minutes of searching."

I nodded, not sure what to say until I remembered what I had seen in the forest. "Ron, while I was in the forest I did see a snatcher." Ron's eyes widened and he started to speak but I motioned for him to keep quiet and ploughed on. "He was alone and he didn't see me, but we should make sure that we recast all of the protective enchantments around the campsite just to make sure we don't get any unwelcome guests."

Ron nodded and pulled me closer. My arms wrapped themselves around his waist and we stood there for a moment just enjoying the other's company. "I'm glad you're all right," Ron whispered and I looked up to meet his eyes. Our heads moved slowly towards each other until -

"Hermione, I brought the wood that you dropped in the forest." Ron and I sprang apart and we turned to see Harry standing in the front entrance to the tent. "Oops, I didn't know I was interrupting something," Harry scowled, then his face turned slowly into a smirk. "Wow 'Mione, you say that we're suffering from withdrawal from girls while bouncing back and forth between me and Ron."

I froze, then my blood boiled with anger. This was another one of his stupid ideas to get closer to me, but this time he wanted Ron out of the picture. "As you very well know Harry," I started, my voice dangerously low, "I had nothing to do with what happened in the forest so don't start. You were the one who kissed me."

"You did what?" I whipped my head around and saw that it was Ron who had spoken. _Shit._ "You failed to mention that bit of trivia, Hermione."

"Ron I -" "I can't believe you would do this to me! You - he - after we -," he whirled on Harry, "And you're supposed to be my best mate, then you. I can't do take this right now.

He started walking towards the tent entrance. When he reached Harry he paused for a second, then punched him in the face. Harry's nose started gushing blood, but all I could focus on was Ron.

He turned back to look at me, a sad look on his face, then disapparated knowing full well that once he left the enchantments surrounding our campsite, there was no coming back.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hermione's POV

I stood, stunned, staring at the tent flap where Ron had been only moments before. I couldn't believe that he would have left just like that. Didn't we, me and him, _us_, mean anything to him?

I understood that he was angry with me for letting Harry kiss me, hell I was furious with myself for not pushing him away, but to leave, to turn his back on what we had together, whatever it was?

I glanced over at where Harry was standing and saw that he too was staring where his best mate had stood before he left us forever. He slowly turned to face me and I could see many emotions cross his face; sadness, regret, confusion and hope among them.

I turned back towards the tent flap and walked slowly towards the river, still having trouble registering that Ron had really left. That he was gone and that he wasn't coming back.

I sat down on the riverbank still numb with disbelief and remembered when - was it only earlier that day - Ron and I had shared our first kiss in that very place.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I turned slowly around and found myself face to face with Harry. He gave me a small smile, which I tried to return, but it ended up more like a grimace. Lightly, he reached his hand and used his thumb to gently brush away the tears that I didn't know had fallen.

When he pulled his arm back I looked into his emerald green eyes and saw the sympathy in them. It was then that I really registered that Ron and I wouldn't be together and I started to cry again; small quiet sobs.

Harry put his arm around me and I gratefully leaned back into the comfort. At that point, I couldn't be mad at him for having kissed me earlier because honestly I wasn't entirely sure that I hadn't wanted him to.

**...ooOoo...**

Weeks passed and the days started to get colder and colder. Ron still hadn't come back. I knew he wouldn't, he couldn't in any case. The way our protective enchantments were set up, he couldn't find us if he tried, but that didn't stop me from wishing he were here.

Harry and I threw ourselves into our research as a method of coping with our new lives without Ron. We had to move our campsite very often in order to search for clues as to where the next horcrux may be.

We often spent nights in complete silence, neither one wanting to say aloud how much we missed our best friend.

One day Harry came back from gathering firewood, grabbed my hand and started marching off somewhere in the forest, tugging me along with him and a small cheeky grin on his face.

"Harry, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to figure out where he was taking me. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see soon enough," came his snide reply, and he continued to pull me to some unknown destination, his breath visible in white puffs because of the cold.

Finally, we came to a frozen pond in the middle of a clearing and Harry let go of my arm, turning to face me and looking very pleased with himself.

"Soooo what are we doing here again? I asked, more than a little confused.

In response, Harry walked towards the frozen surface of the pond and stepped on to it, his smile still in place. Keeping his eyes on me, he started to try to ice skate in his boots.

I laughed lightly at the ridiculous sight of him and at my expectation that we would have been in the forest as a response to something important.

Grinning even wider Harry started to try to dance on the ice with an invisible partner, which made me laugh more.

Without any warning, Harry twirled towards me and grabbed my hand, pulling me onto the ice with him. I took the invisible lady's place as his dance partner and we moved around the ice with about as much grace as a pair of elephants, laughing all the way and dancing goofily to a tune only we could hear.

Suddenly I slipped and fell onto the ice, Harry tumbling on top of me. I looked up into his eyes and our laughter slowly faded away. We seemed frozen in a moment, staring at each other, unmoving.

I was confused; Harry was making me experience emotions that I'd ever only felt before with Ron. I wanted him to kiss me, to feel his lips against mine. Did this mean that I had forgotten Ron? No, that wasn't it; I would always remember and maybe even be in love with Ron, but he left, he was gone now, and I needed to move on with my life.

Harry's head moved slowly towards mine, his eyes searching the entire time for any signs of reticence, objection, encouragement. My acceptance must have shown on my face because the next thing I knew our lips were pressed together, moving in synchronization in a passionate kiss.

After I didn't know how long, our lips separated and Harry pulled back slowly. I smiled shyly at him to let him know that everything was okay and saw his answering grin before he pulled me to my feet and we headed back to camp.

**...ooOoo...**

Things were different after that. There were no more silent nights and the atmosphere around our campsite was a lot lighter. I still missed Ron, but it was no longer unbearable. I had found a way to move on and I wouldn't let a memory of what could have been keep me from happiness the rest of my life.

A/N: Thanks to people who have reviewed! Reviews make me happy! :) Let me know what you think of the story so far and where you think it's going. Who do you think Hermione should end up with? Harry or Ron? I already have an idea, but I'd like to know what you guys think.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I should probably have put a disclaimer somewhere at the beginning of the story... does anyone know if those are actually important/necessary?

Disclaimer: I am not JKR, I only wish I was that much of an awesome genius!

Chapter 4

Hermione's POV

Harry and I continued our search for horcruxes, but we didn't have much information, only the books I had brought and what Harry could remember from his private lessons with Dumbledore. To make matters worse, we had practically no information from the outside world; everyone could be dead and we would have no idea.

Suddenly I remembered that I had packed a small radio in my bag. I had been reluctant to use it before in case the signal could be tracked, but we needed to know what was going on no matter what the risk.

I dug through my bag before rolling my eyes at my stupidity. There was enough stuff in there to keep a city going for a few weeks; of course it would be almost impossible to find a small radio.

"Accio radio," I muttered, pointing my wand into the bag. A small white box with an antenna came zooming out of the bag and I caught it in my hand. Calling Harry over, I put the radio down on a small table in the tent and gently turned the knob to power it on.

The radio glowed blue and it started to make noise. At first, all we could hear was static, then snippets of conversations. Harry sat down and started moving the antenna around to get a better signal. I laughed, "This isn't a muggle radio, the signal isn't broadcasted from towers, so doing that isn't going to change what we hear."

In order to hear what you wanted on a wizard radio, you had to tell it exactly what type of information or music you were looking for. For example, if you wanted to hear the latest Weird Sisters song, you had to say "Top Hits" or something along those lines and it would take you to the right channel.

Harry looked sheepish, and then motioned for me to control the radio. I picked it up and told it said clearly: "Top News Stories." The contraption glowed blue again and was silent for a few seconds before we heard a voice on the wireless.

"-and so the Wasps will not be in the Quiddich world cup final again this year. In other news, the outcome of Rudolphus Lestrange's case, after having been appealed to the Wizengamot, has finally been decided. Mr. Lestrange has been found not guilty of crimes against wizardry and has been released from Azkaban prison. This is the fifth case of the kind in the last month. It is easy to see that the new administration at the Ministry of Magic is working hard to reconsider what priorities are most valuable at this time. Now in other stories-"

Harry shut off the radio, "What a load of rubbish! All that is what the now corrupt Ministry is feeding witches and wizards everywhere. Let me try something." He turned the wireless back on and told it: "News from the resistance supporters." The radio glowed blue, then red and a voice spoke "Invalid command, please try again." Harry groaned "What about news from the Order of the Phoenix?" Again, the radio could find nothing that we were looking for.

Harry was now getting frustrated while I was becoming more and more worried; what if there was no news from the Order because no one was left alive and Voldemort had taken over? But no, I refused to believe that, I couldn't believe that. If I did, I would be acknowledging that there was no hope left for us and that all of our work was for nothing. My throat was dry as I said: "Maybe there's no information because there is no one there against the new regime anymore. What if there's no one left who still supports Harry Potter?"

The radio glowed gold, "Special command recognized, connected to Support Harry Potter network." My mouth dropped open and Harry and I looked at each other before turning back to the wireless, eager to gather what news we could from this station.

"As you all know, Severus Snape has taken over the position of Headmaster at Hogwarts, slimy git that he is." Harry and I both laughed gasped in unison. It was obviously either Fred or George! They were alive and well! "Fred, not very professional, but hilarious!" another voice interrupted the first, though the voices were identical. George! The voice continued, "We have just now received word that two known Death Eaters, Alecto and Amycus Carrow have been hired as teachers at Hogwarts and will presumably report directly back to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Parents are encouraged to warn any of their children who attend Hogwarts that rule breaking will result in a more severe punishment than the mere loss of house points and detentions."

This time a new voice came on the wireless, one that both Harry and I could easily recognize as that of Remus Lupin. "Thank you for that information. Now, on a more encouraging note, we understand that there is a group of students making things difficult for the Carrows at Hogwarts. This group is believed to be the remainder of a rebel group called Dumbledore's Army that was formed two years ago. This resistance is currently being led my none other than Neville Longbottom, but Ginny Weasley -"

"You rock little sister!"

"And Luna Lovegood are also involved in leading other students against the new administration and actively support Harry Potter."

Fred's, or was it George's voice came back on the radio, "Well, that's all the time we have for today, but don't forget to keep tuning in for an update on all that's going on and remember to support Harry Potter!"

The radio stopped glowing gold and turned itself off. Harry and I continued staring at it for a few moments until we heard a voice outside our tent.

"I know they're here somewhere, the wireless signal was definitively coming from right here."

Harry and I exchanged a horrified glance. Snatchers!

"Come out come out wherever you are," the voice called and we heard footsteps stop right outside our tent. "In here. Wands out now."

I jumped to my feet and grabbed Harry's arm. Feeling quickly around the tent I found my bag and we ran for the exit at the back of the tent; our only option left.

As soon as we exited the tent we started running towards the woods but soon found ourselves face to face with three hooded figures. "Going somewhere?" one of them asked, and we turned quickly around, only to discover that we were surrounded.

"Got you now haven't we," a voice sneered, and Harry and I looked at each other in desperation. One of the figures raised their wand and all I could do before we were stunned was tap Harry subtly with my wand; hoping that I had studied disguising spells well enough. "Stupefy," the figure muttered, and we both hit the ground with a dull thud.

**...ooOoo...**

When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself lying on the ground in what looked to be a damp dungeon. Looking around, I found Harry still passed out beside me. I was pleased to see that my disguising spell had worked well. His usually black hair was now a dirty blonde and his nose was shaped slightly differently. Pushing his hair back from his forehead, I could see that his lightning bolt scar was still in place, but that was all that could be expected. Magically caused scars couldn't be hidden by a simple spell.

I stood up and went to investigate the rest of the dungeon area. "Hermione?" someone called, and I turned to see Luna standing beside a pillar. "Luna!" I exclaimed, and ran to hug her, "I thought you were at Hogwarts!" Luna frowned, "I was, but I was taken by these Snatchers when my father started openly supporting Harry in his magazine instead of talking only about Crumple Horned Snorkaks and other such creatures."

I smiled and hugged her again, happy that at least one of my friends was safe; well, as safe as one could be in a dungeon who knows where.

"Oooh and Hermione, guess who else is here!" Luna gushed.

I closed my eyes, my stomach flip flopping nervously; seeming to already know who was there. Luna turned me around slowly and when I opened my eyes again I found myself face to face with Ronald Weasley.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you're all awesome! Let me know what you think of this chapter :)


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry for taking so long to update! I was on vacation at my cottage where we had no Internet :( **Check out my other story called ****War Measures****!**

Chapter 5

Hermione's POV

My jaw dropped and I stood there staring at Ron for a few long seconds, not really sure how to react. Ron cleared his throat awkwardly, "Ummm, hey," he said. All of a sudden I launched myself into his arms, overjoyed that he was alive and well. I buried my face in his neck, "You're okay," I kept whispering over and over, "I thought I would never see you again."

I leaned back to get a look at his face and suddenly my expression turned from happy to furious, "You bastard! You left me without another word! You didn't even hear me out!" I started hitting every inch of him that I could reach; "Now that I know you're all right I'm going to kill you for worrying me so much!"

Instead of pushing me away or shielding himself from my blows, Ron wrapped his arms around me and pulled me even closer. Eventually my pounding grew weaker and weaker and I leaned into his embrace, starting to cry. We stood like that for I don't know how long until my sobs subsided. When they did, Ron leaned back to get a better look at me, but I was still looking down. He gently tipped my chin up with his finger and leaned his head down towards mine.

Panic flashed through me as I remembered Harry, and I jumped away before we could kiss. I wanted to just fall into his arms and stay there forever, but things had changed. Ron looked at me inquisitively, then his eyes darted to where my companion was still lying unconscious on the floor. I knew that he could recognize him; my disguising spell wasn't good enough to hide Harry's identity from someone who had known him for years. A look of realization came over Ron's face, followed by disappointment. He started to walk towards Harry, but I grabbed his arm, "Let him sleep, we have a lot to talk about anyways."

We sat down in a corner of the dungeon and I fixed Ron with a pointed stare, "You leave with barely a word and we don't see you for weeks, now we get caught by some snatchers, end up in a dungeon and you happen to be here too. What happened to you?"

"Well you know why I left, but you have to believe me when I say that it was the dumbest thing I have ever done. When I heard that you were with him... you have no idea what it's like being one of the youngest in a big family. When I looked into the Mirror of Erised in first year, I saw myself as head boy and Quiddich captain. Having to live up to my brothers' reputations has always been one of the hardest parts of my life. The Mirror of Erised shows the deepest desires of your heart, but you can also use it to figure out your worst fears. You fear failure; your boggart was McGonagall telling you that you had failed all of your classes. I have always been terrified of not being able to be my own person and constantly living my life as a shadow to others. I was always second to my brothers who excelled in academics, Quiddich and school standings, then to Harry who is the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One. How could I ever measure up against him? And then... and then I fell in love with you and none of those things mattered anymore as long as I had you. When I heard the two of you were together, I thought I had lost the last thing that mattered to me. I won't ever be able to take back leaving you, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me in time."

I stared at him for a few moments, "I guess I can understand why you left and you obviously didn't think when you did so. It might take some time, but I think that eventually things will be able to go back to the way they were before."

I leaned back against the rock wall and reflected on what Ron had revealed to me. My thoughts were interrupted when a pair of soft lips touched mine. My eyes closed instinctively and I started to kiss back; it was such a natural and easy thing to do. Then, I forced myself to pull away and my eyes snapped open again.

I looked up to see Ron's confused expression, "What on earth do you think you're doing?" I asked, then I realized that my choice of words hadn't been very clear. I groaned, "When I said the way things were before, I meant when we were best friends, not right before you left. Like I told you before, I still need to figure things out between you, me and Harry. You can't just walk back into my life and expect everything to be the same, people change, circumstances change. I'm sorry Ron, but I..."

My voice trailed off and I dissolved into tears, life was so confusing. How was I supposed to choose between my two best friends when I knew that no matter what I did, our friendship would never be the same?

Ron rubbed my back awkwardly and muttered inaudible words that I supposed were intended to be comforting. It was so sweet and so Ron, that I sobbed even harder and rested my head in his lap.

I didn't know long we stayed that way, but eventually my tears subsided. I lifted my head and moved so that I was sitting cross-legged beside Ron instead of practically on top of him. He smiled at me and used his thumb to wipe away the tear trails that remained on my face.

Someone behind me coughed loudly and when I turned around to face them I saw Harry glaring at Ron. "That's it," Harry's voice was low and deadly sounding, but I could tell that he was hurt, "you can't keep bouncing back and forth between the two of us. Choose, me or him."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and that it wasn't too overly cheesy for you! There will probably be only two more chapters after this and an epilogue, so we're almost done. **Review please!**


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione's POV

I looked back and forth between Harry and Ron helplessly. How was I supposed to make such an important decision then and there? I took a deep breath, "I can't. I can't hurt either of you..." my voice trailed off. Suddenly my mood switched from helpless to angry, "And yes, I understand that this is hard on both of you, but you have no idea what this is doing to me either. How can you ask me to choose between my two best friends when I know that our relationship will never be the same no matter what I decide? Not that you would know, but this is nothing like picking out a new broomstick. I just-"

_Creak_. I fell silent as the door opened. Harry, Ron and I instinctively moved closer to each other as we prepared for the worst. A short man who was hunched over and carrying a light-emitting wand entered the room. I immediately recognized him from my third year as Peter Pettigrew or Wormtail, as he goes by now.

He glanced around the room before his black beady eyes fell on the three of us, huddled together in the corner. Pettigrew gaze flitted over Harry and Ron before eventually settling on me. He gave a short nod before smirking in the most unnerving way. I swallowed but glared back at him and crossed my arms in front of my chest; hoping that my stance would be a good enough facade to cover the fear I was feeling inside.

Wormtail narrowed his eyes at me, but neither Ron nor Harry were fooled by my bravado. Ron slowly reached out and grabbed my hand; inching forward until he stood partially in front of me while Harry pulled me back so that I was farther away from Pettigrew.

Realizing what the Harry and Ron were doing Pettigrew sneered before pointing his wand at me, "I've come for the Mudblood, we'll deal with her first."

Ron glared back at Wormtail, "You'll do no such thing, you're daft if you think she's going anywhere with you while we're here." "If you want her, you will have to go through us," Harry added.

Pettigrew sneered, "That can be arranged," he pointed his wand at Harry and Ron each in turn and screamed "Crucio."

Harry and Ron both fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Neither of them cried out, but their teeth were gritted in concentration and eventually their eyes started to roll back into their heads. "No, stop! Stop! Take me, leave them alone!" I screamed. Wormtail looked up from where Harry and Ron were lying on the floor and they both stopped twitching and lay panting side by side.

Pettigrew gave a self-satisfied smile before marching over to where I was standing still in shock and grabbing my arm. Ron tried to pull himself off the ground to defend me, but Pettigrew merely walked by and gave him a sharp kick in the ribs; causing him to fall back to the floor with a grunt of pain.

I gave little to no resistance as Wormtail dragged my up the stairs, still shocked at seeing Harry and Ron in such fragile pain. I also knew that my fighting would only make things worse for my best friends.

**...ooOoo...**

When Pettigrew finally stopped pushing me forward and threw me to the floor, I found myself in a large room with vaulted ceilings. I looked up to see Wormtail scurry away to stand behind a tall woman with dark hair. She was dressed all in black, but the thing that scared me the most about her was her crazy smile. I recognized her immediately as Bellatrix Lestrange.

"I think we need to have a little chat, Girly, woman to filth as it were," she smirked and moved closer towards me, holding her wand in one hand and fingering the sword of Gryffindor with the other.

Bellatrix held up the sword, "How is it that you came by this artifact dearie?" she asked in a falsely sweet voice. I shook my head but didn't reply. Her maniacal smile grew wider and she walked closer to where I lay still on the ground, "Let me rephrase the question, tell me where you got this sword or I will spill your already filthy blood." She pulled out a dagger from inside her robes and ran it threateningly down my forearm.

"We - we found it," I muttered, "I don't know how..."

"Lies!" Bellatrix bellowed, "How did you get in to my vault at Gringotts? What else did you take?" She dug the knife into my arm and I heard a piercing scream; it took me a moment to realize that it was my own.

"We didn't take anything. Please, I swear we didn't take anything." I answered, my arm throbbing painfully." "You liar! What did you take from my vault?" She yelled again. "We didn't break into anyone's vault, please."

"Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed, her wand aimed straight at me.

The pain of the Cruciatus curse is so terrible that it is impossible to describe. If you imagine knives stabbing every inch of your body and then multiply that pain by five, you will still have no idea the hurt that it causes. It feels as though your soul is being ripped into small pieces and you are slowly losing your grip on reality.

For someone like me who is so dependent on facts and what is actually going on, being tortured to the point of insanity is one of the worst things that can happen. As waves of agony crashed over me; however, I could only think of one thing: if I was going to die I wished that I had more time with Ron.

Ron. Memories flooded back to me all in a rush; the first time we set eyes on one another on the Hogwarts Express in first year, Ron saving me from the mountain troll in first year, brainstorming ideas for Buckbeak's appeal, dueling in Dumbledore's Army, our first kiss along the riverbank in the Forest of Dean...

All of a sudden the pain stopped. I lay on the floor panting and trying to regain awareness of what was going on. I finally was able to lift my head and I saw Ron rushing into the room closely followed by Harry; both of them holding their wands in front of them. Ron started immediately towards me, but Harry held him back and nodded towards Bellatrix who was still holding the dagger although her wand was in Harry's left hand.

All of a sudden I felt a tap on my shoulder and I whipped my head around as fast as my still muddled brain would allow. There proudly stood Dobby the House Elf. He gripped my arm that wasn't dripping blood and the world spun momentarily.

When everything stopped moving I found myself on the other side of the room in between Harry and Ron. Ron immediately ran towards me and enveloped me in his arms while Harry kept his wand trained on Bellatrix.

When he finally pulled away Ron helped me to my feel and I immediately felt my head begin to spin so I braced myself on his shoulder.

Everything happened so fast that I wasn't sure what was going on until later. All I saw were flashes of green and red light before the world once again began to spin. I heard shouts and screams and then blackness.

**A/N: I'm really sorry that it's taken me so long to update this story! I feel really badly, but I've just been so busy with schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Please review, it makes my day! I'LL GIVE SPECIAL PREVIEWS OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ANYONE WHO REVIEWS :)**


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